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The GoodThe Motorola Finiti has "stealth mode," a bone conduction technology that completely blocks out environmental noise. It also has features like multipoint, A2DP streaming, voice controls, and compatibility with an Android app that reads out incoming text messages. Call quality is excellent.

The BadThe Motorola Finiti has a tiny multipurpose call button. The MotoSpeak app is currently only for Android and could be improved. Voices in stealth mode sound a little overly processed.

The Bottom LineThe Motorola Finiti is a definite improvement over its predecessor, with lots of high-end features and amazing audio quality.

CNET Editors' Rating

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Editors' note, December 9: After further review and comparison with other headsets in its category, we've dropped the Finiti's rating to 8.0.

It has been more than a year since Motorola introduced the Endeavor HX1, which is one of a few Bluetooth headsets that can use bone conduction to translate the vibration of the jaw into speech. Now Motorola has come out with its successor, the Motorola Finiti, which debuted this year at CTIA's fall show. The Finiti has the same "stealth" bone conduction mode for extremely noisy situations and Motorola's CrystalTalk noise cancellation technology for everyday use. Other features include A2DP streaming, multipoint, voice prompts, and compatibility with the MotoSpeak app, which reads out incoming texts and lets you dictate a reply.

The Motorola Finiti retails for $129.99, which we think is a fair price for such a great-sounding headset. However, competing headsets like the Aliph Jawbone Icon and the Plantronics Voyager Pro Plus are available for a much lower price. Even though they don't have the Finiti's bone conduction mode, they have additional features (like apps and services) that outmatch the Finiti.

As part of Motorola's Elite series of headsets, the Finiti is designed to catch your eye with its shiny chrome finish. Yet it still looks like a traditional Bluetooth headset, and has a rectangular design similar to the Motorola CommandOne. The measurements are also the same, at 2.13 inches long by 0.73 inch wide by 0.43 inch thick. The sides are covered in a soft rubber material and the overall headset is slightly curved for improved comfort.

There's a slight peak on the front of the Finiti, which houses a couple of the headset's microphones. On the top of the headset is the Micro-USB charging port plus a tiny multipurpose call button. We found it almost too small, as the tiny rubber point is easy to miss. Still, we found it easy enough to press. On the left side is a slider toggle that turns the headset on and off, while the volume rocker is on the right. Also on the right is the "stealth mode" button that activates the aforementioned bone conduction mode.

On the back of the Finiti is an unusual-looking earpiece. Unlike the round earpiece on the CommandOne, the Finiti's earpiece juts out almost like a spout. At the tip is a tiny bubble that acts as the "stealth mode sensor." The entire earpiece is designed to fit snugly in the ear, and you need to have the stealth mode sensor touching your ear canal in order for the bone conduction to work. The Finiti comes with multiple ear fittings--two spring styles (for the left or right ear) and three different-size loop styles. There's also an optional ear hook for stability, but we didn't think it was necessary. Though the earpiece looks a little intimidating at first, we actually found that it fit comfortably and easily in the ear. We admit that having the sensor touch the ear canal felt a little awkward at first, but we got used to it eventually--your mileage may vary.

As we mentioned above, the Finiti has a slew of features that are welcome on higher-end headsets. It has A2DP streaming so you can listen to your music and turn-by-turn navigation directions, multipoint, which lets you connect the headset to two devices simultaneously, and the usual features like last-number redial, call waiting, and voice command support. It also supports voice control, so you can say "answer" to answer a call and "ignore" to ignore one.